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Fostering the Internet of Things to Advance U.S. Leadership

Margie_Dickman
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By Marjorie Dickman, Global Director and Managing Counsel, IoT Policy

Intel commends the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for launching a request for comment today on “The Benefits, Challenges, and Potential Roles for the Government in Fostering the Advancement of the Internet of Things.”  As the world undergoes the dramatic transformation from isolated systems to Internet-enabled devices that can network and communicate with each other and the cloud, this proceeding underscores the importance of the Internet of Things (IoT) to the U.S. government, industry and consumers.

With estimates of up to 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020 – and IoT devices projected to significantly outpace conventional computing devices like tablets and smartphones – the IoT will generate unprecedented opportunities for the public and private sectors. These transformational opportunities will significantly impact the entire marketplace across key sectors including automotive, industrial, retail, energy, healthcare and smart homes and smart cities.

This multitude of sectors will leverage IoT technology innovations to develop new and better services, improve consumer experiences, enhance productivity and efficiency, improve real-time decision making and solve critical societal problems.  Together, these IoT innovations will fuel GDP, create new jobs, and bolster the US and global economies.

With the  global economy expected to be positively impacted by the IoT to the tune of $4 to $6 trillion, it is imperative that government and industry work together to develop a national IoT strategy.  Consistent with many questions in today's NTIA inquiry, this national IoT strategy should include a plan to identify and remove barriers to IoT innovation and address how the government can best promote the deployment of secure, scalable and interoperable end-to-end IoT solutions.  It also should address how federal agencies can best harness IoT technology to drive their missions.

The Department of Commerce's recognition of the vital importance of the IoT to global leadership, innovation, prosperity, education, and civic life is a positive step in advancing that objective.  Intel looks forward to participating in the important discourse in this proceeding.
About the Author
Global Director & Managing Counsel, Internet of Things Policy